Skip to main content

Cutting Your Housing Costs in Half



Cutting the price will generally bring buyers of anything out of the woodwork that were not serious before.  Some renters could easily lower their monthly cost of housing by half or more by purchasing a home with all the financial benefits that come with it.

The most obvious thing in today's market is that the mortgage payment could be less than the rent the tenants are paying.  With mortgage rates hovering around 3%, this is a major factor of the savings.

The two other major contributing factors are appreciation and amortization of the mortgage, neither of which benefit tenants continuing to pay rent.  According to the FHFA House Price Index, home prices rose 5.4% from July 2019 to July 2020.  There were 400,000 less homes on the market during the summer of 2020 than the previous summer which is influencing appreciation.

With each payment a homeowner makes on their mortgage, a portion is used to reduce the principal amount owed.  This is like a savings account for the owner because it lowers their unpaid balance and increases their equity.

The equity becomes an asset that can be accessed by doing a cash-out refinance or a home equity line of credit once the equity has reached 80% loan-to-value.

A $300,000 home purchased with an FHA loan at 3% for 30 years would have a payment of approximately $2,013 including principal and interest, taxes, insurance, and mortgage insurance premium.  If the tenant were paying $2,400 in rent, this would be a savings of almost $400 a month.

The monthly principal reduction would average $500 a month for the first year which would lower the net cost of housing.  The other major item to consider would be the appreciation.  Assuming, in this example, the home was appreciating at 3% annually, the monthly appreciation in the first year would be $750 which would further lower the cost of housing.

Rent

$2,400

Total House Payment

$2,013

Less Monthly Principal Reduction

$513

Less Monthly Appreciation

$750

Plus Estimated Monthly Maintenance

$200

Net Cost of Housing

$950

 

In this example, it would cost over $1,400 per month more to rent than to own.

A different approach to this would be that the equity in this home in seven years would be $121,579 based on appreciation and principal reduction.  If the same person continues to rent, there would be no equity build-up.

If you're curious as to how much you could cut your housing cost, go to the Rent vs. Own or contact your real estate professional.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Before You Leave Town...

Along with all the planning of what you're going to do and where you're going to stay, consider this checklist to make you feel more comfortable while you're away from home. Ask a trusted friend to pick up your mail, newspaper and keep yard picked up to avoid an appearance of not being at home. Stop your mail ( USPS Hold Mail Service ) and your newspaper. Don't post about your trip on Facebook and other social media until you return; some burglars look for this type of announcement to schedule their activities. Do notify police or neighborhood watch - especially if you're going to be gone for more than just a few days. Let your monitoring service know when you'll be gone and if someone will be checking on your home for you. Light timers make it look like someone is home. Set multiple timers for various times to better simulate someone at home. There are plug-in modules for lights and appliances that would allow you to control...
2 comments
Read more

Make Your Home Offer the Most Appealing

Sales in February 2023 were up 14.5% month over month and still down 22.6% year over year according to the NAR Housing Snapshot.   The median sales price dipped 0.2% to $363,000 and there are 2.6 months supply of homes on the market compared to 1.7 months a year ago. "Inventory levels are still at historic lows, and consequently, multiple offers are returning on a good number of properties." According to Lawrence Yun, Chief Economist for the National Association of REALTORS�. It is still important to have a strategy for potentially competing with other buyers on the house you want to buy.   The plan should include several available provisions and options, so that at the time of drafting the sales offer, you can consider exactly what to include based on the situation. Unless a person is paying cash, you need to be pre-approved by a trusted mortgage professional long before you start looking at homes.   Include the written pre-approval letter along ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Rental Home Investments

Rental homes whether they be single-family detached properties, condos, two, three or four-unit properties share many of the same benefits.   Most people instinctively understand many of the working parts because they are the same as their home.   They have a basic understanding of value and how to maintain the property.   The service providers for a home would be the same for a rental home. These properties allow an investor to obtain a large loan-to-value mortgage at fixed interest rates for up to thirty years.   They appreciate in value, currently exceeding many other assets; have defined tax advantages and allow an investor more control than many alternative investments. Most lenders require 20-25% down payment and will finance the balance at rates close to owner-occupied homes.   Buyer closing costs will add another three to four percent to the amount of cash needed to close.   It is also prudent to have available funds for repairs and maintenanc...
Post a Comment
Read more